Even if the rumored "Chromebook Pixel" isn't a fake, I don't see the point.

The rumor mill served up some intriguing news yesterday: a supposedly leaked video showed off a fancy new high-end laptop called the "Chromebook Pixel," a Chrome OS laptop with a high-resolution 2560×1700 touchscreen. This is the latest manifestation of months-old rumors that Google has been working on its own Chromebook, a sort of Chrome OS analog to the Nexus phones and tablets that Google releases to showcase new form factors and new versions of the Android operating system.

The Chromebook Pixel video's legitimacy has been disputed quite well by JR Raphael of Computerworld, who notes the CEO of Slinky.me (the video's production company) both publicly apologized for the "leak" on Google+ and then linked to a page on AndroidAuthority with a full video embed—hardly the proper behavior for someone who had just outed an ad for a top-secret project.

That's enough to discredit the Chromebook Pixel rumors in my eyes, but I'm sure it won't be the last we'll hear about a "Nexus" Chromebook. If the rumors are true, though, does such a device even make sense? There are plenty of reasons Google would be better off leaving the Chromebook hardware to its competitors.

Chrome OS doesn't need a Nexus

Since the Nexus One introduced Android 2.1, new versions of Android have always launched with new hardware to accompany them—to date, this lineup includes the Nexus One, Nexus S, Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7, Nexus 4, and Nexus 10. The hardware used for these devices is typically pretty high end, but the real allure of the phones and tablets is that they all come with "stock" Android—the software as Google intended it. The Nexus program exists partly to highlight new Android features free of the customizations and add-ons made by various hardware manufacturers and partly to give customers the ability to purchase a phone or tablet free of these sometimes-dubious changes. In most cases, these phones and tablets also receive software updates straight from Google. Nexus hardware bought within the last year or two can generally expect to be updated promptly when a new version of Android is released. This access to updates is sadly out of reach for most Android device owners.

These phones and tablets serve as users' first glimpses at new versions of Android, but there's no need for a similar program on the Chrome OS side. Each Chromebook receives the stock version of Chrome OS with no third-party additions or customizations, and every Chromebook (from HP's latest model to the very first developer prototype) receives the exact same Chrome OS updates on the day they're released. The people who buy Nexus phones and tablets for their prompt access to updates have no reason to do the same for Chromebooks, because everyChromebook is on a level playing field with respect to software updates. While Android users and developers need a reference platform like the Nexus phones and tablets to show them where Google is going, from a software perspective each and every Chromebook is essentially a "reference" device. Everything is straight from Google with no undesired third-party tampering.

Enlarge/ Press shot of HP's Pavilion Chromebook. Its portrayal of the screen's color and viewing angles is probably a bit too optimistic.

Would Google's partners even pay attention?

From the software side, then, there's really no reason why Google would need a Nexus-esque program for Chromebooks. But there's another reason why Google partners with OEMs to put out Nexus devices—the Nexus lineup also exists to serve as a pace car for Google's hardware partners. You can see this in the top-end Qualcomm SoC used in the Nexus 4, the high-resolution panel used in the Nexus 10, and in the price tag of the Nexus 7. Google has very little say in the sort of hardware its partners make, but it uses the Nexus devices to show them where Googlethinks they should be headed (and, often, what they should be charging).

It's slightly more plausible Google would use a Nexus-style Chromebook to showcase new features or to show its partners what it would like to see in future Chromebooks. If Google wants to optimize Chrome for touch or for high-density displays, releasing its own hardware to push those features might make some sense.

But would Google's hardware partners follow the lead? The last three Chromebooks announced—Acer's C7, Lenovo's X131e Chromebook, and HP's Pavilion 14 Chromebook—have all been gently tweaked versions of existing low-end Windows laptops with locked-down Chrome OS BIOSes. Compared to designing purpose-built Chrome hardware, this saves on R&D and manufacturing costs and also mitigates some risk if the Chromebooks don't sell well. The parts can always be re-used in the Windows versions of the laptops. Samsung continues to make hardware that is purpose-built to run Chrome OS, but it's the only one in the game currently.

Chrome OS is still a niche operating system, despite early reports from Acer that their $199 C7 model is selling relatively well. It's going to take much more success than that before the OEMs want to start investing more into purpose-built Chromebooks with unique features.

It's all about price

Enlarge/ Acer's C7 Chromebook has problems, but people are willing to overlook these things in a $199 computer.

Andrew Cunningham

And that leads me to my last point—price. Chromebooks have been on sale for a couple of years now, but it's only recently that we've heard anything about the devices being particularly successful commercially. Though I don't have many specific numbers to talk about here, the fact Lenovo and HP are finally joining Samsung and Acer probably indicates at least some degree of consumer interest not there before.

Part of this newfound popularity almost certainly has to do with the laptops' prices: the original Series 5 Chromebook from Samsung and the Acer AC700 Chromebook retailed for $499 and $349, respectively. Both of these laptops were basically netbooks, right down to the cramped keyboards and Atom processors. Compared to the low-end Windows laptops of the day, these early Chromebooks offered too little and cost too much. And the educational and business markets that Google spends so much time courting with Chrome OS hardware and software are particularly price-sensitive.

Now, especially in the C7 and Samsung's ARM Chromebook, Chrome OS has matured enough and the prices have fallen enough that the laptops' cost is commensurate with their features (and their build quality). A hypothetical laptop like the Chromebook Pixel, with its high-resolution touchscreen (and the hardware required for good performance on such a panel), is going to drive the costs up. At this point, there's just no evidence that there's a market for a mid-to-high-end Chromebook, at least as long as it's the kind of Chromebook we're familiar with.

Maybe the Chromebook Pixel video was real. Maybe some variant of this laptop and its oddball not-16:9-nor-16:10 2560×1700 screen really is percolating somewhere deep in Google's headquarters. But either way, I'm not sure a Google-made Nexus-esque Chromebook makes much sense.

67 Reader Comments

Chromebooks as is currently fit only certain uses; they don't have as much portability as a tablet nor the power of an actual laptop. Until they're improved well beyond what is currently available, not only do I not see a need for a Chromebook Pixel, I don't see much of a need for a Chromebook, period.

No, it wouldn't make sense for Google to do it, but Google sometimes does things "just because" instead of because they make actual sense. I think the company still needs adult supervision, personally.

To me, it only makes sense if the chromebook is running some merged version of Android and ChromeOS. Plenty of people use Android tablets with a keyboard and mouse (or a dock that has a touchpad and a keyboard), and there was a Chrome plated Android statue installed at a Google building lately.

A "Nexus" laptop doesn't make sense if it runs ChromeOS, but could it mean we'll see some sort of Android and ChromeOS convergence at Google I/O in May?

To me, it only makes sense if the chromebook is running some merged version of Android and ChromeOS. Plenty of people use Android tablets with a keyboard and mouse (or a dock that has a touchpad and a keyboard), and there was a Chrome plated Android statue installed at a Google building lately.

A "Nexus" laptop doesn't make sense if it runs ChromeOS, but could it mean we'll see some sort of Android and ChromeOS convergence at Google I/O in May?

To me, it only makes sense if the chromebook is running some merged version of Android and ChromeOS. Plenty of people use Android tablets with a keyboard and mouse (or a dock that has a touchpad and a keyboard), and there was a Chrome plated Android statue installed at a Google building lately.

A "Nexus" laptop doesn't make sense if it runs ChromeOS, but could it mean we'll see some sort of Android and ChromeOS convergence at Google I/O in May?

Google has enough money to partner up with an OEM and produce a line of solid laptops for a very tiny profit, in order to further promote Chrome OS and find a way to merge it with the dominant operating system in the dominant consumer electronics business. The fact that tech writers (one of the worst groups in predicting market trends) like their MacBooks too much doesn't mean much in the broader scheme of things.

It makes sense if Google is trying to make the Nexus brand more of an actual brand - much akin to Microsoft with Surface.

Agreed with the first part. It is Google's partners who make the Nexus devices, and one of them may want Google to let them bestow the Nexus brand on their Chromebooks because they'll think they can sell more.

On the other hand, I don't think anyone will be a hurry to adopt the Surface brandname anytime soon.

It only makes sense to me in the context of Google getting their Chromebook and Chrome OS philosophies - whatever the hell they are - out there, on their own terms, and setting the bar for hardware. But the device being rumored is the wrong way to do it, IMO. They need to go low end or mid-range to prove the viability of the platform and its mass market appeal - if it has any. You don't free a product line from a niche by going over the top, and you don't expand that niche with products that Joe Consumer can't afford. The C7 is much, much closer to what they need to be doing. Oh, but that's already been done - back to square one.

Personally, if my Nexus 7 had an Ethernet port, I'd be much, much happier with it. Network troubleshooting and the like is the only reason I'd consider a Chromebook, but I'd never pay over low end netbook prices for it and I'd want apps aplenty for it.

While part of me things Atrix & its dock and how lame that was, I agree that a Chrome OS / Android co-system could be really interesting.

If the next Chrome is literally Android on a laptop, I think that could change things. If Android suddenly became a desktop OS, and not just an OS for smartphones, it could become an actual competitor in the marketplace.

I'll be honest, I still don't understand the point of Chrome OS. I get that it's a niche product, but I kind of think Google needs to work the opposite of niche.

It's a testing ground. Microsoft works by trying to corner the market, Apple works on the principle that people will buy stuff if it's expensive, Google throws money at things until they strike something. Just look at all of their ridiculous stuff that never made it past the incubation stage, like Buzz or Wave, but served a purpose in expanding knowledge and gaining market insights.

Chromebooks have turned not to be a money losing product, so they have no reason not to push Chrome OS and see where it takes them.

Personally, if my Nexus 7 had an Ethernet port, I'd be much, much happier with it. Network troubleshooting and the like...

+1 for this. But, curious here, have you tried using a USB NIC with it? I haven't done it myself, but I've heard rumors that USB NICs work well with Android tablets... for that matter, since it's an N7 not an N10, you could install Ubuntu on it if you had to, at which point I can't think of a single reason why a USB NIC wouldn't work swimmingly.

Does the Chromebook Pixel need to fill an product line gap or even one at all? When I read comments like "it doesn't make sense" I get a sense the person behind the keyboard is some guy/gal in Sales or Business Development.

The Chromebook Pixel is inspirational! It is simply cool. And can't Google do something just because it's cool in the absolute without concern for profitability or making linear sense? More companies should do the same. Let's get excited about something cool and new without worrying about the business/marketing plan behind it.

Current Chromebooks are beta products helping Google learn what works. Microsoft has the smartphone, tablet, and laptop "stack." Apple too. Existing Chromebooks are Google's weakest link in that stack and one that they can strengthen with the Chromebook Pixel.

I'll be honest, I still don't understand the point of Chrome OS. I get that it's a niche product, but I kind of think Google needs to work the opposite of niche.

Nexus tablets and phones are wonderful, since they are direct upgrades from devices we already have. The Chromebook still seems (to me) to be a solution looking for a problem.

What am I missing, here?

It's nice to have all your settings sit independent of your computer. Sign in with your Google account and, boom, everything just gets sucked down, up to and including Chrome extensions, settings, passwords and applets.

It's very much the thin client done right, or rather the thin client whose time has come: you can now get decent, ubiquitous bandwidth, enough cheap processing power and mature enough web-based tech to make it work. If your needs aren't ambitious, it's quite elegant. There's even a Citrix XenApp client and a decent enterprise-grade management console.

That said, they could do this with Android, too: you could sync everything up to someone's server and then pull it all down as you move from device to device or network to network. The problem, as far as I can tell, is that Android isn't at all suited to that kind of thing*---it's too chaotic and has too much stuff client-side---whereas ChromeOS is. I wouldn't be surprised to see the two merge sometime down the line.

What ChromeOS needs to do, frankly, is a) be cheaper (there's still not a great value proposition versus used Windows gear and/or bottom-feeder Windows devices), and b) be available outside of the US and UK. The Exynos-based Samsung model is a good start; I'd like to see more like that, and at a lower price point (say $99 to $149) and less like the terrible HP and Acer devices.

Personally, if my Nexus 7 had an Ethernet port, I'd be much, much happier with it. Network troubleshooting and the like...

+1 for this. But, curious here, have you tried using a USB NIC with it? I haven't done it myself, but I've heard rumors that USB NICs work well with Android tablets... for that matter, since it's an N7 not an N10, you could install Ubuntu on it if you had to, at which point I can't think of a single reason why a USB NIC wouldn't work swimmingly.

No, I haven't tried that, but will keep it in mind - thanks. So far, I'm trying real hard to avoid rooting the thing and that's really the only thing I'd really change as I don't (yet) need a lot of storage. I bought a Galaxy Nexus at about the same time, so the ecosystem/apps/syncing scenario is fairly important to me right now. If I could afford another device, it would be different.

I'll be honest, I still don't understand the point of Chrome OS. I get that it's a niche product, but I kind of think Google needs to work the opposite of niche.

Nexus tablets and phones are wonderful, since they are direct upgrades from devices we already have. The Chromebook still seems (to me) to be a solution looking for a problem.

What am I missing, here?

Chromebooks in education are going to be huge over the next year or two. You can equip an entire school with a great laptop, google apps/drive/docs and email for next to nothing compared to windows/mac laptop investment. Then you add the ease of managment, and now both arm and intel devices have NaCl support.

You guys are missing the point... its called the Pixel because thats the key feature.. high resolution high quality screen on a laptop.. that is a feature you can barely find in any laptop for a decent price. If nothing else, leading the way on this charge is a worthy enough goal for me.

They have to start somewhere.. the original chromebook didnt make much sense when it came out 2 years ago.. this is gen 1 of high dpi touch notebooks

Better question: whats the point of the ChromeOS when google already has a popular OS on the market that quite a few consumers are familiar with and touts many if not all the capabilities of a Chromebook sans--for now--keyboards?

Android is successful. Love it or hate it, the public consciousness has relegated ChromeOS to the level of red-headed stepchild. People do not want to learn a new operating system, no matter how simple it is to learn. they want something they already know, and woe-betide the company that makes radical changes to the way things look, feel or are accessed.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're prototyping a tabletbook with Android-esk touches and I can see a huge financial reason for why Google would consider such a device successful. tablets have proven successful. this is a logical step.

Having just read through the 67 posts before mine, I'm pretty sure I'm the first one here who actually HAS a chromebook. There are definitely two types of people: those who don't understand why anyone would get a chromebook, and those who have and love one.

My Chromebook is amazing and is one of my favorite devices bought, ever... and I have more devices than you can shake a stick at. I use it way more than my Nexus 7. A super-high DPI Chromebook sounds completely awesome, and I think would sell very well.

*growls* The Chromebook needs to die. Product diversifying is a good thing. But only when you aren't duplicating a product. Chrome OS is a duplication of a more functional and just as fast Android OS. Who direly needs a killer app. (Read platform to run on.) The closest is the Nexus brand. But there is no real notebook option other then the transformer that really is more a table solution and expensive.

define people in that context because all the people I know are thrilled about ChromeOS/Chromebooks when someone clearly explain them what it is about.

scroll up to my prveious comment, you're in the typical 1% that don't understand ChromeOS.

My source is an entire community of geeks in the Minneapolis, Twin Cities area who I've talked to and most, not all, couldn't give less of a crap about a browser on a netbook. Time and again I've found people want functionality. The only thing going for ChromeOS is destroy the device and you are only out the device and not your data. There are plenty of solutions for that on other platforms. And again Android could easily do the same thing while being more functional.

It makes sense if Google is trying to make the Nexus brand more of an actual brand - much akin to Microsoft with Surface.

Agreed with the first part. It is Google's partners who make the Nexus devices, and one of them may want Google to let them bestow the Nexus brand on their Chromebooks because they'll think they can sell more.

On the other hand, I don't think anyone will be a hurry to adopt the Surface brandname anytime soon.

Chromebooks as a whole don't make sense, much less a Nexus chromebook ... they're pointless.

A Nexus tablet running Android with a detachable keyboard (like surface) would be a far far superior solution.

I've been quite happy with my Asus Transformer Infinity. It's not a Nexus, but Asus has been pretty good about the upgrades. I also like the fact that the keyboard has an additional battery in it, along with extra (full sized) USB ports. It also has a proper hinge instead of a kickstand, so you can adjust it to any angle.

Most of the time, I leave the keyboard on just so I can use it as a stand and battery extender, but if I'm using it as an e-book reader, I take it off. I would love to see Android develop into a more general purpose OS for phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and game console (Ouya) use, rather than just a phone/tablet OS.

There are certain elements of Android's task management (originally intended to deal with limited memory and battery life) that I think are unfortunate for a general purpose OS, but other than that, it seems to have pretty good potential. The app developers just need to start realizing that Android isn't just on tiny phone screens anymore.

I'd also be interested in Ubuntu Phone or Ubuntu for Android, if Google doesn't want to adapt Android for more general purpose use. One thing it really needs is the ability to open multiple windows of the same App to view different documents simultaneously. Even if the window manager doesn't let you have both physically on the screen at once, you shouldn't need to close one to open the other, and both should show up independently on the task selector.

For some apps (games, music players), it makes sense to have only one instance open, but for document-centric apps (Word processing, spreadsheet, PDF viewer), it's the documents that are important thing, not the app. The document should be the "thing" that gets represented visually in the UI, and the app is just invisible background code that instantiates that document.

For example, on a desktop computer, I wouldn't open a PDF viewer app, and then load a document through its menu system (though technically, most programs do allow you to do that if you really want to), I would simply open the PDF file, and the computer would choose the appropriate app to view/edit it (or let me choose the app from a list). For most viewer programs, doing this does not interfere with other documents that have been previously opened using the same app, it just opens the new document in a new window or new tab.

Android apps seem to work differently. For example, if I have one picture open in the picture viewer, and then open another picture, the first picture viewer window switches to the second picture, rather than opening it in a separate window. This means if I want to switch back and forth between two pictures, I have to either use the picture browser built into the picture viewer (which shows every picture on the system, without much organization), or keep going back to the file manager to reopen each picture each time I want to switch.

This sort of behavior is the primary thing that would keep me from wanting to use Android on a desktop system.

If Google is actually doing this, I would guess the reason is that they see a weakness in Windows 8 that they want to take advantage of. There is a large market segment that wants a laptop with a high build quality. If Google could make a laptop that's similar in build quality to the MacBook Air, with a retina screen, at a much lower price point, I bet they would get a lot of buyers, especially if Windows 8 isn't doing very well.

*growls* The Chromebook needs to die. Product diversifying is a good thing. But only when you aren't duplicating a product. Chrome OS is a duplication of a more functional and just as fast Android OS. Who direly needs a killer app. (Read platform to run on.) The closest is the Nexus brand. But there is no real notebook option other then the transformer that really is more a table solution and expensive.

I agree with this. If they would focus on making Android more suitable for desktop use cases, and make a nice Arm-based system in an ultrabook-like form factor with all-day battery life, I would love it. Preferably with a really high resolution 16:10 screen. Basically like the Transformer, but a bit bigger. I'm not even sure I would care about a detachable screen, since at that size it might be a bit cumbersome to use as an e-book reader, and that's about the only think I detach my Transformer for.

Edit: one last source: my own experiences with end-users as a tech support representative for my company and the current debacle with Windows 8 versus John Q Consumer.

Given time, a diehard user can turn someone to another operating system. Its a slow process however, and a constant one. Once you start down the path of evangelist for your preferred OS, you'll be "the tech guy" for that machine until the day it dies.

I'm sure I'll see counters shortly of how ChromeOS is going to suddenly dominate some niche area, that chormebooks aren't such a bad investment idea after all, etc etc. End of the day, until Linux user/developers get off their high horses, start taking a few pages from M$ and Apple about maintaining similarity within the OS (disregard Win8; its a pass and a bomb. Whether they admit it or not, Sinofsky left over the flop in progress) linux will always be relegated to a niche role in the general consciousness.

There is only one current platform within the linux sphere that can claim otherwise. Android currently DOMINATES the smartphone and tablet industry. If Google could translate the success of the OS into the PC market--the brand, the look and feel, the familiarity--I believe "things would happen".

I have to agree, there's really no need for a "Nexus" Chromebook. But then, I'm still trying to figure out why there's no Nexus for Google TV. I mean, the Nexus Q was right there and could have easily handled those chores, and if there's any product line that really needs some guidance from Google, it's that one.

If Google is actually doing this, I would guess the reason is that they see a weakness in Windows 8 that they want to take advantage of. There is a large market segment that wants a laptop with a high build quality. If Google could make a laptop that's similar in build quality to the MacBook Air, with a retina screen, at a much lower price point, I bet they would get a lot of buyers, especially if Windows 8 isn't doing very well.

It may only be me, but I'm sick of hearing people call any device by a marketed brand name like "retina."

The point of "Nexus" devices is Google doing things their own way, and offering something the OEMs don't feel compelled to offer, because it's not profitable for them. Yes, the major allure of Nexus phones and tablets is unadorned stock Android, with updates straight from Google, because that's what's missing from third-parties.

Chromebooks have a new found success with low end prices, and low end hardware. If (and this is a big if) Google believes there should also be a high-end, expensive option available, it makes perfect sense for them to offer it themselves. This Chromebook, if it's real, may not be sufficiently profitable to bring to market. But Google can, and should do it, if they think it advances their platform.

Andrew Cunningham / Andrew has a B.A. in Classics from Kenyon College and has over five years of experience in IT. His work has appeared on Charge Shot!!! and AnandTech, and he records a weekly book podcast called Overdue.